This is a blog that will take you through the Rum lifestyles of a fine group of people that enjoy the fun and pleasure of fine rums. We will travel to distilleries, partys, and Rum Events to bring you the Rumstyles of all those we come in contact with.

Bahama Bob's Rumstyles

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

If you’re
a whiskey drinker, that is looking for a little bit more from his cocktails you
might want to substitute a rum of the same age as the whiskey you’re are using
to make those wonderful whiskey cocktails.With the help of a knowledgeable rum barman you will be really surprised
at how good these really are.Rum has a
natural sweetness that whiskey lacks and allows you to sweeten the cocktail up
without the addition of sugar to the mix.

Rum and
whiskey share a parallel history both in the American Experience as well as
abroad. Boston area of New England was one of the largest producers of rum in
the world in the late 1600’s.This was
in part due to the “Triangle Trade between the US, Africa and Barbados and
other British colonies in the central Caribbean. At the same time, Whiskey was
being made by farmers utilizing their leftover corn. When the American
Revolution went into full swing, the molasses became hard to get a hold of because
of the British Blockades of American ports and many of the distilleries switched
over to producing whiskey.Soon, whiskey
became the most popular spirit of the colonies.

Whiskey drinkers in general don’t understand the
flavor of the two spirits are very similar.Although rum and whiskey come
from different raw materials they both are fermenting a sugar source that will
be aged in American oak barrels that were very often originally used for aging
of whiskey. Both spirits exhibit flavors of vanilla, toasted and charred oak,
and, in some cases when charred barrels are used you pick up notes of smokiness.Both spend from three to seven years in the
barrel and the ethanol is being exposed to the wood yielding a very similar
maturation process.

Many of the traditional cocktails like the Old
Fashioned, Manhattan or even a Sidecar can be given a new life by interchanging
whiskey and rum. These drinks will still share a lot of the same flavors you
know and love, while adding some new dimensions to the flavor profile.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

What are some of the factors that you have to be aware of when you are making rum? First of all, you have to be concerned with the preparation of the fermentation vessel and all of the equipment that is being used to make the "wash". Dirty utensils and fermenters will introduce unwanted bacteria and wild yeast strains all of which can taint or ruin your fermentation. What you use can also effect the final product as well. Low grade molasses, the type of sugar, water that is tainted with chemicals are all factors in a good fermentation.

200 Year Old Fermentation Tanks

A good full flavored wash is the product of careful measurement of the ingredients and choosing the ingredients that will all work well together to make the fermentation active and pure. There are a number of by products that can come out of the fermentation that are no going to taste good or even leave you rum cloudy. Molasses or Cane Juice are going to give you the best tasting rums, rums made from processed sugar will yield alcohol, but they will be more of a neutral spirit, vodka, rather than a flavorful rum. Fermenting a cooler temperatures will also effect the flavor and give you a higher yield of alcohol that warmer ones.

Pitching the Yeast

The choice of yeast will also be a huge factor in what you end up with as a final product. There
are a huge number of types of yeast from bread, wine, whiskey, rum, and many more to choose from. The other option is to culture your own strain of yeast. All of these will work, but you need to do some experimenting with the different strains to get what you are looking for as a flavor profile. Some of the yeasts are "supercharged" and can produce up to 12 or 15% alcohol in as little as 48 hours. Others are slower and are more about producing a wash that will give the final product a specific flavor.

These are some of the most important factors in making rum, because what you start with has a huge effect on what you end up with. Starting with low grade materials will yield alcohol, but very little flavor and this is fine if you just want a neutral spirit. If you want a great tasting rum, you must pay careful attention to your beginning, in other words the fermentation.

Monday, February 26, 2018

RAISE A GLASS TO THE golden years.Making it past 90 years old may boil down to
drinking a couple of glasses of alcohol a night, according to a study on
members of the oldest demographic in the U.S.The 90+ Study, started in 2003, focuses on the fastest growing age group
in America - the "oldest-old" - to determine what habits lead to
quantity and quality of life, according to its website. This year, researchers
at the Clinic for Aging Research and Education in Laguna Woods, California,
focused on what food, activities and lifestyles are commonly featured among
those living longer.Analyzing more
than 1,600 nonagenarians, the study results showed that people who drank two glasses
of beer or wine a day improved their odds of living longer than those who
abstained by about 18 percent.

Dr. Claudia
Kawas, a neurology specialist and head of the 90+ Study at the University of
California, presented her findings at the American Association for the
Advancement of Science's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 17."I have no explanation for it, but I do
firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity," Kawas said in her
keynote address.

Exercising
regularly and partaking in a hobby for two hours a day were also associated
with longer lives. Surprisingly, people who were overweight, but not obese, in
their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did."It's not bad to be skinny when you're
young, but it's very bad to be skinny when you're old," Kawas said at the
meeting.

Cheers to life, seriously.When it comes to making it into your 90s,
booze actually beats exercise, according to a long-term study.The research, led by University of California
neurologist Claudia Kawas, tracked 1,700 nonagenarians enrolled in the 90+
Study that began in 2003 to explore impacts of daily habits on longevity.

Researchers
discovered that subjects who drank about two glasses of beer or wine a day were
18 percent less likely to experience a premature death, the Independent
reports.Meanwhile, participants who
exercised 15 to 45 minutes a day, cut the same risk by 11 percent.“I have no explanation for it, but I do
firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity,” Kawas stated over the
weekend at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual
conference in Austin, Texas.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Another Island that I haven't visited in quiet some time is Barbados. I have a lot of very fond memories of this Island. It was where I was offered the chance to judge rum at the Caribbean Food and Rum Festival. It is also the home of some of my favorite rum distilleries, like Foursquare Distillery, Mount Gay, West Indies Rum Distillery and of course St. Nicolas Abbey.

Rum's history is very deeply lives on this little Caribbean island and is a beautiful place to come and learn about it.

Saturday, February 24, 2018

If passed,
Senate Bill 803 is set to breathe new life into Virginia's distilled spirits
industry

Senate Bill 803 proceeds through the Virginia
General Assembly ranks as state legislators continue to evaluate whether or not
they want to foster the Commonwealth's burgeoning distilled spirits industry.
Virginia is a control state for distilled spirits, which requires the state's
distilleries to operate as government ABC stores. This means Virginia
distilleries must sell their products using the state-imposed markup structure
while shouldering 100 percent of the operational costs for a distillery store.
SB803 will allow Virginia distilleries to keep the state-imposed markup for
product that they sell onsite at distilleries, and as a result never moves
through the state fulfillment system.

As of last
week, the bill passed the full Senate floor, and will now proceed onward to the
House for crossover. "Support from the Senate for commonsense legislation
to advance fair policy for Virginia distillers, who are also Virginia farmers,
Virginia employers in rural communities and drivers of Virginia's tourism has
been tremendous," said Virginia Distillers Association (VDA) Government
Affairs Director Curtis Coleburn.

SB803 Patron
Senator Bryce Reeves identifies with many of the unique and excessive
challenges faced by Virginia distillers. "We should be doing everything we
can to promote and reward small businesses and their operators in Virginia -
SB803 does just that. It allows distilleries to keep more of their well-earned
proceeds," explained Senator Reeves.

Distilled
spirits are the only consumer good where our state government is an active
market participant. In addition to the state-imposed markup which averages 69
percent but can be as high as 93 percent, Virginia adds on a 20 percent excise
tax to all distilled spirits sales. Virginia has the second highest excise tax
for distilled spirits in the nation, at 20 percent of the retail shelf price
($30.88/gal for distilled spirits for a bottle that retails for $30.59
excluding Virginia sales tax). On a per gallon basis, this is more than 19
times greater than the state excise tax on table wine ($1.51/gal), and 117
times greater than the state excise tax on beer ($0.26/gal). To better
understand the economics of distilling and selling spirits in the Commonwealth,
CLICK HERE for an overview. SB803 will allow distilleries to keep the
state-imposed markup (averaging 69 percent but as high as 93 percent) for all
sales at their distilleries; allowing them to reinvest in their businesses.

The markup
formula how the state sells product is the same whether product is sold at
distilleries, or at local ABC stores. Subsequently, distillery operators
shoulder 100% percent of the expenses for operations (e.g. employees, overhead,
credit card processing machines, etc.). In exchange, distillery store operators
receive a commission of 8 percent of sales for product sold at distillery
stores. That commission was formerly 15 percent, but was reduced to 0 percent,
then 8 percent in 2015 by ABC. As a result, distillery stores render a higher
rate of return to the Commonwealth at 40.52 percent vs. 35.03 percent for the
state's own government ABC stores." See p. 34 of Virginia ABC's 2017
fiscal report for further information.

Friday, February 23, 2018

A lot of
people feel that prohibition just appeared, it didn’t, it was a long time
coming and it took a long time to appeal it.I found this to be an interesting article worth reading.How it came and went should be of interest to
anyone that enjoys the freedom of choice here in America to have an alcoholic
beverage.

On January 20,
1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbade, "the
manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors". It came
into force exactly a year later, with the National Prohibition Act - usually
known as the Volstead Act - setting out the detailed guidelines.Prohibition had not come out of the blue. The
Temperance Movement had been building strong support among the many churches
since the early 1800s. Massachusetts was the first state to introduce
anti-alcohol legislation in 1838, but it was short-lived. Maine did so more
successfully in 1848.

Prohibition was not a success.
Organized crime set up large smuggling operations across the Canadian and
Mexican borders, as well as managing illegal shipping routes from the
Caribbean. Domestic bootleggers began distilling vast quantities of homebrew,
and medicinal and denatured alcohol were cut and washed for resale - sometimes
with fatal consequences. All these products were pumped out through
mob-controlled speakeasies and illicit drinking dens. In the space of only a
few years, prohibition had given a new breed of gangsters undreamed of wealth
and geographic reach. From this solid foundation, organized crime then
diversified into narcotics, gambling, prostitution, and finance.

Law enforcement
agencies and organized crime gangs battled it out on the streets of American
cities. The state's highpoint came in 1932 when Eliot Ness and his
Untouchables from the Bureau of Prohibition succeeded in securing Al Capone's
imprisonment for income tax offences. However, by this stage the tide had
turned, and the whole violent experience of prohibition had killed off much
popular support for the Temperance Movement.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

This is an interesting
article that I ran across today. I often
question myself about this very question.
I seem to have different answers at different times in my life, but you
need to read this article and see how it fits into your lifestyle.

Emmanuel Kuntsche
and Sarah Callinan are alcohol policy researchers at La Trobe University in
Australia.They explain even those who
aren't dependent on alcohol should know their type.Your reasons for drinking influence your
physical and mental health generally. It's easy to see alcohol consumption being a result of thousands of
years of ritual and a lifetime of habit.But have you ever stopped to consider why it is you choose to drink?Knowing what motivates people to drink is
important to better understanding their needs when it comes to encouraging them
to drink less, or in a less harmful way.

Personally,
everyone can come up with many reasons why he or she is drinking, which makes a
scientific understanding of the reasons difficult.But there is something called the
motivational model of alcohol use, that argues we drink because we expect a
change in how we feel after we do.Originally
developed to help treat alcohol dependence, the ideas described in the model
led to a new understanding of what motivates people to drink.More precisely, the model assumes people
drink to increase positive feelings or decrease negative ones.They're also motivated by internal rewards
such as enhancement of a desired personal emotional state, or by external
rewards such as social approval.

This results in
all drinking motives falling into one of four categories: enhancement (because
it's exciting), coping (to forget about my worries), social (to celebrate), and
conformity (to fit in). Drinkers can be high or low in any number of drinking
motives - people are not necessarily one type of drinker or the other.All other factors - such as genetics,
personality or environment - are just shaping our drinking motives, according
to this model. So drinking motives are a final pathway to alcohol use. That is,
they're the gateway through which all these other influences are channeled.

1. SocialDrinking

To date, nearly all the research
on drinking motives has been done on teens and young adults.Across cultures and countries, social
motives are the most common reason young people give for drinking alcohol.In this model, social drinking may be about
increasing the amount of fun you are having with your friends.This fits in with the idea that drinking is
mainly a social pastime. Drinking for social motives is associated with
moderate alcohol use.

2. Drinking to Conform

When people only drink on social
occasions because they want to fit in - not because it's a choice they would
normally make - they drink less than those who drink mainly for other reasons.These are the people who will sip a glass of
champagne for a toast, or keep a wine in their hand to avoid feeling different
from the drinkers around them.In the
last couple of years, programs like Hello Sunday Morning have been encouraging
people to take a break from drinking.And
by making this more socially acceptable, they may also be decreasing the
negative feedback some people receive for not drinking, although this is a
theory that needs testing.

3. Drinking for Enhancement

Beyond simply drinking to socialize,
there are two types of adolescents and young adults with a particular risky
combination of personality and drinking motive preference.First are those who drink for enhancement
motives.They are more likely to be
extroverted, impulsive, and aggressive. These young people (often male) are
more likely to actively seek to feel drunk - as well as other extreme
sensations - and have a risk-taking personality.

4. Drinking to Cope

Second, those who drink mainly for
coping motives have higher levels of neuroticism, low level of agreeableness
and a negative view of the self. These drinkers may be using alcohol to cope
with other problems in their life, particularly those related to anxiety and
depression.Coping drinkers are more
likely to be female, drink more heavily and experience more alcohol-related
problems than those who drink for other reasons.While it may be effective in the short term,
drinking to cope with problems leads to worse long-term consequences. This may
be because the problems that led to the drinking in the first place are not
being addressed.

Why It Matters

There is promising research that
suggests knowing the motives of heavy drinkers can lead to interventions to
reduce harmful drinking.For instance,
one study found that tailoring counselling sessions to drinking motives
decreased consumption in young women, although there was no significant
decrease in men.This research stream
is limited by the fact we really only know about the drinking motives of those
in their teens and early 20s.Our
understanding of why adults are drinking is limited, something our research
group is hoping to study in the future.

Next time you have a drink, have a think
about why you are choosing to do so. There are many people out there having a
drink at night to relax. But if you're aiming to get drunk, you have a higher
chance than most of experiencing harm.Alternatively,
if you are trying to drink your problems away, it's worth remembering those
problems will still be there in the morning.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Caribbean rum
brand Ron Dos Maderas Luxus has renewed its collaboration with the Billion Baby
Turtles campaign in a bid to help save 3,000 baby turtles from extinction.Dos Maderas rum is supporting the Billion
Baby Turtles campaign, a program by SEE Turtles, which has the support of SOS
Nicaragua, works to protect baby turtles, which when fully grown play
a fundamental role in the maintenance of the marine ecosystem of the Pacific
coastal region, including coral reefs and seagrass meadows.

The survival of
the different species of turtle in these waters is in danger due to the
poaching of their eggs, which are sold illegally on the black market, or the
illegal use of their shells to make diverse objects.Money donated to the campaign goes toward
the protection of nesting beaches through organized beach
patrols, ensuring that baby turtles are able to cross the sand and reach
the sea without incident.

Luxus, the top
rum in the Dos Maderas range of rums produced by Williams & Humbert,
is aged for 10 years in the Caribbean and five in the company’s Jerez winery in
ex-20-year-old Don Guido Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks. The range also includes Dos Maderas 5+3,
which spends five years aging in the Caribbean and five years in Jerez, and
Dos Maderas Selección, a blend of rums from selected casks of Dos Maderas 5+5
and the Caribbean rums used for Luxus.

Luxus is also the name of the first turtle adopted by the
brand in 2014 in collaboration with ICAPO (Eastern Pacific Hawksbill
Initiative) with a donation being made for the adoption of Hawksbill turtles in
danger of extinction.

Hatchings Headed to the Sea

“This
collaboration with the campaign Billion Baby Turtles originates from the desire
of Bodegas Williams & Humbert to create closer ties between the region from
which its range of rums originates and in which these species, which play such
an important role in conserving the environment, are in danger of extinction,”
the producer stated.So far,
the Billion Baby Turtles campaign has saved over a million turtles in
danger of extinction, with more than 500 volunteers participating in over 4,000
conservation patrols and over 10,000 students receiving training in the
subject.The Dos Maderas brand’s
support will help support the protection of 3,000 baby turtles in danger of
extinction.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Presidents’ Day, officially, George Washington’s Birthday,
in the United States, celebrated the third Monday in February, originally
to celebrate George Washington and Abraham Lincolns’ birthdays. The
day is sometimes these days is understood as a celebration of the birthdays and
lives of all U.S. presidents. The real question is what is this holiday officially?

The origin of
Presidents’ Day lies in the 1880s, when the birthday of Washington—commander of
the Continental Army during the American Revolution and the first
President of the United States was first celebrated as a federal holiday. In 1968 Congress passed the Uniform
Monday Holiday Bill, which moved many federal holidays to be celebrated on Mondays.
The change was designed to schedule certain holidays so that workers had several
long weekends throughout the year, but it has been opposed by those who believe
that those holidays should be celebrated on the dates they actually happened.During
debate on the bill, it was proposed that Washington’s Birthday be renamed
Presidents’ Day to honor the birthdays of both Washington, February 22 and
Lincoln, February 12.Abraham Lincoln’s
birthday was celebrated in many states, it was never an official federal
holiday. Following much discussion,
Congress rejected the name change. After the bill went into effect in 1971,
however, Presidents’ Day became the commonly accepted name, due in part to
retailers’ use of that name to promote sales and the holiday’s proximity to
Lincoln’s birthday. Presidents’ Day is usually marked by public ceremonies in
Washington, D.C., and throughout the country.

Monday, February 19, 2018

This wonderful expression, after spending 8
years aging in the traditions of HSE Rhum, this 2005 vintage spends an additional 1 year maturing in Château la Tour Blanche casks.One of HSE’s
more unique expressions is particularly lovely, is the HSE Chateau La Tour
Blanche Finish. After eight years of
aging in American oak barrels, it spent an additional year maturing in barrels
that formerly housed Chateau La Tour Blanche, the famous Bommes-based dessert
wine.

Master Taster’s Note

The color is a classic golden amber, with a
mild aroma of oak, caramel, brown sugar and a hint of dried apricot.The flavor profile is marked by dried
apricot, a hint of orange zest, black pepper, white wine, cane sugar, tropical
fruit, even a hint of Moscato.“the expressive bouquet delicately also
projects acacia honey and passion fruit notes. A few seconds of aeration awakens the scent
of dried apricot and fig enhanced by a hint of gingerbread. The flavor has a
captivating roundness and sublime sweet notes of dried fruit and Muscato. Followed by an aromatic orange peel rounds it off beautifully. An extraordinary experience
that lovers of unique products will adore.” This exquisite expression of AOC
Martinique is Bottled at 41 % ABV.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

It has been over a year since I've bee off of the island and basking in the Caribbean sun on a different tropical island. I still have to wait until May, before we take off for a week in Grand Cayman and hanging out with so many friends there. By the way, I don't count the day trip to Havana, it was over before I really knew that it had begun. I had a great time, but it was a quick "wham - bam - thank you - ma'am" type of trip. I can't wait to behanging out on those beautiful Beaches and feeding the Frigate Birds.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

One of the really interesting things about wandering through
the streets of Havana and down into the historic districts is seeing how the locals actually live and interact with the tourists in Havana. You hear about the abject poverty, but I don't see any more of this in Havana that I do in Miami. Yes there are what look like homeless on the streets that are trying to hit you up for a hand out, but there no more of them than I see everyday here in Key West.

2012 El Capitolio

2018 El Capitolio

I find most of the neighborhoods to be very clean and well kept. The Cuban people are a great group and are proud of their heritage. A lot of the media coverage seems to be as slanted as the media in the rest of the world. With the return of tourists to Cuba, there is a noticeable change in the "eye-appeal" of the city with many of the old buildings that were dirty and falling down 5 years ago are totally restored today. El Capitolio, and the National Theater are two examples of what I'm referring to.

Friday, February 16, 2018

A few weeks back, I covered the stripping run and why it is done, today
we are going through the reasons for the refining run and why the two run
process seems to be preferred by most rum makers.

Why should I do a
stripping run before a spirit or refining run? The stripping run allows
you to significantly reduce the volume of product that needs to be distilled
during the spirit or refining run, significantly reducing distillation
time. It will also produce a better tasting alcohol.
For example, if we start with 300 Gallons of Wash we can strip this
down to 60 to 90 Gallons of “high wines” and then run a single spirit run this
will take much less time and makes it easier to make clean cuts giving you the
spirit the flavor and texture that you are looking for.

Stripping Run
temperatures are very different from Refining Run Temperature. In practice, most distillers
collect high wines until the stripping run temperature reaches 208 to 212 degrees
F or 98 to 100 degrees C. Remember you don’t make any cuts during this
distillation the primary goal is to strip off the water, yeast and other solids
that are a part of the wash. In the refining or spirit run you begin by
bringing the temperature in the boiler up slower and getting a better
separation f the components that are coming off the still.

Reflux column helps with the refining or spirit run

The purpose of the
spirit or refining run is to give you a very clean final product that you can
cut at exactly the right time and yield a higher proof clean product. You can make your cuts at whatever point
meets your personal needs and this will have an effect on the final proof of
the spirit. Some people like to let the
cut wait until there are some tails in the blend and others rather have pure
hearts with no tails. This is the choice
of the distiller, and yours if you are making the decision. That is why the stripping run is done hot and
fast, while the refining or spirit run is done with less heat allowing for more
reflux action in the still and yielding a much cleaner and better tasting final
product called the hearts. Heads are
discarded and the tails are retained to be added to the next stripping run
giving you a chance to recover the remaining alcohol that is left behind during
the refining or spirit run.

All that is left now is to proof it down to
the % ABV that you want to put your spirit into the barrel at. Allow a suitable amount of time in the barrel
and you are ready to set the final proof and bottle it.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Since February 1st, 2018, for every
bottle of Maggie's Farm core rum sold, either White, Spiced, Single
Barrel, or 50/50 Dark rums, $1 will be donated to animal rescue charities in
the area of the sale. The Story is denoted
on labels for all bottles now rolling out into our current
distribution markets. The monthly bottle sales to each market will be tallied
and the funds donated directly to non-profit, no-kill animal shelters in the
areas of distribution, whether in Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Baltimore,
Delaware, Philadelphia, Nashville, or New York.
This includes all future markets as well. Multiple, different charities in the areas of
each city will be chosen each month with the best effort of spreading the
donations around to benefit as many as possible.

As Maggie's Farm continues to experience
growth in production and sales, a desire to give back has come to fruition.
With this ability, and without any product price increases, owners Tim and
Layla Russell have decided to assist charities close to their hearts. "These
are ones that benefit finding long-term homes for lost, neglected, or
abused pets." As Layla has stated, "Family pets can be our greatest
companions and truly depend on us, and in exchange provide us their
unconditional love."

This is a great idea for giving back to
the community that support the rum company and a great way for you to help out
in your community as well.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

When it comes to aging rum there are as many
ideas about how to make it happen as there are types of rum in the world.Here is one that I have played with a bit as
I have a couple of small casks on my boat that have spent the past year plus
rocking and rolling with the boat even during Hurricane Irma.I really interested in seeing how this is
going to work out for The Ironworks Distillery.

Ironworks Distillery Rum Being Loaded Aboard the Picton Castle

The
Ironworks Distillery in Nova Scotia has loaded four casks of rum onto a tall
ship to mature during the boat’s final round-the-world voyage. Four casks of the Lunenburg-made rum will
spend 15 months travelling around the world aboard the Picton Castle, before
being bottled as part of a one-time release in May 2019. Lynne MacKay, co-owner of Ironworks
Distillery, said: “We are very excited to be working with the Barque Picton
Castle on this project. We know that rum ages well in an oak barrel and if that
barrel is riding the ocean, it will be even better.

“The
idea that our customers will be able to enjoy a Lunenburg-made rum knowing it
has sailed around the world on a Lunenburg-based tall ship is quite simply very
cool.” The Picton Castle has made six
round-the-world voyages over the years, but this will be the ship’s last
adventure with captain Daniel Moreland.

“This
fine cane elixir from Ironworks Distillery, which makes a rum as excellent as
any of the very best in the Caribbean, will be snug and secure in the cargo
hold for all of our trade wind passages across the South Pacific, Indian and
Atlantic Oceans before hoisting it back ashore at our wharf in Lunenburg at the
end of the voyage,” said Moreland. Rum
fans will be able to track the progress of the Picton Castle online, where they can also find
reports from the ship’s crew as well as the captain’s log of the voyage.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

It’s also not chocolates, flowers, or
teddy bears. I know why these things start to look like a good idea: You’re at
checkout at CVS and you see a Valentine’s Day–related article, and boom! You
remember it’s February, which means that either you have just enough time to
pull something together to try and impress her, or you messed up really
bad. You forgot Valentine’s Day and she said nothing, which is worse than a
fight. Just so you know, it’s the 14th; It’s always on the 14th.

Sitting on
the couch talking, and your girlfriend said, clear as a bell: no gifts for
Valentine’s Day. But does she really mean no gifts? As in, no gifts no gifts? Was she even talking about
Valentine’s Day? It’s too hard to
remember, It was a really or just showing you a way out in case you forgot. But she has to want something. All girls do,
right? Or is it not right anymore to
assume that a woman would want a gift for Valentine’s Day? Then comes the
question, is she getting you something? Your stress is appropriate, Valentine’s Day
is a holiday designed to make men look inadequate. But there is a
cure-all—something that every woman wants.

There are very few things I’d recommend giving
to all women. Cash is a seriously controversial
gift, not to mention it is very cold. Here is some advice that works for every couple. In the
seminal film The Break-Up, there is
a scene where Jennifer Aniston, who is, bizarrely, dating Vince Vaughn, yells
at him, exasperated, “I don’t want you to do the dishes. I want you to want to do the dishes.” “Why would I want to do
dishes?” No one wants to do the dishes.
That means she doesn’t want to do the dishes either. She does, however, want
the dishes done. It’s of value to her to have the dishes done. He doesn’t
care that she values that. She’s upset that she’s with someone who
doesn’t want to do the work of being in a couple, and if she always has to ask
him to do something, it doesn’t “count.” She’s still in charge of making sure
the dishes get done, even though you volunteer to do them with being asked to. This doesn't have to apply to only dishes, but almost any chore that she does on a regular basis. If you do the laundry or grocery shopping without being asked it will be noticed and greatly appreciated.

This doesn’t seem like much, but it will get a very welcomed reaction
from your Valentine if you make the effort before being asked.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Here in Florida, we have it pretty good as
far as the freedom to create cocktails, even with the infusion of things into
existing liquors.All we have to do is use
fully taxed and legal spirits.I guess
in Vermont, this is not the case.There
is a petition going around to get the rules changed.

A petition circulated by local bartenders
that seeks to amend a state liquor regulation has gained more than 400
signatures in 24 hours. The petition is
an effort to change a Vermont Department of Liquor Control regulation that
prohibits adulterating or tampering with alcohol after its manufacture. In
practical terms, this means a bartender cannot infuse spirits with ingredients,
flavors, herbs or spices — a common practice that is part of mixing a craft
cocktail.

"Cocktails are
cuisine," said Stewart Dunoskovic, a bartender at Leunig's Bistro & Cafe who
signed the petition. "A bartender is not unlike a chef in what they
do. Anything that restricts what we can do with those products, restricts what
you get to drink at the end of the day."
This is not good for tourism in Vermont, because limiting the ability of
the barmen will lead to people going places where these rules don’t exist, like
New Hampshire, Main, or Massachusetts.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

After nearly 2 months of living on Lil' Sanity, our camper there is a light at the end of the tunnel to when we will be able to return to living on Sanity Too. There is still some work to be done, but hopefully by the end of February she will be back in the water and we will be able to return to our "normal" living quarters and begin the return to living like before Irma. She is already beginning to look whole again after the bottom work has been completed and the new swim platform arrived last week. We've bee two months on the "camper" and ready to be able to wander around in a house with some space.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

It always
seems to come back to the old adage, a little is great, but a lot can ruin
you.Like so many other things in this
world anything in moderation can be a benefit.I’ve always felt that alcohol has always been believed to have medicinal
value, but overdoing it can kill you.

If you're partial to a drink or two, you will love the
results of a recent study; researchers have found that a "low" intake
of alcohol may help to cleanse the brain. In a mouse study, scientists from the
University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) in New York found that drinking
the equivalent to around 2.5 alcoholic drinks per day could reduce brain
inflammation. It was also found to
increase the function of the glymphatic system, which is responsible for
removing waste products from the brain. High
alcohol exposure, however, was found to impair glymphatic function and increase
brain inflammation.

Lead study author Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, of the Center
for Translational Neuromedicine at URMC, and colleagues recently reported their
findings in the journal Scientific Reports.
It should come as no surprise that excess alcohol intake can harm
health. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) report that alcohol is a
contributor to "more than 200 health conditions" and causes around
3.3 million deaths across the globe each year.
Increasingly, however, research has suggested that a little alcohol may
do us good.

Friday, February 9, 2018

The Spirit Industry report is out and a huge surprise for me is the fact that Rum is #2
in a strong whiskey driven spirits year.The strong sales of all of the spirit categories is impressive.

1. Vodka

Volume
sales: 71.34m cases

Percentage change: +2.2%

Value
sales: US$6.22bn

Percentage change: +3%

The unmoved – and seemingly immovable – spirits
leader in the US market is vodka. Growth remained subdued in 2017, but almost
50m cases separate it and its closest volume rival: rum. It’s growth is also
all-the-more impressive considering the category continues to face creeping
challenges from ‘trendy’ up-and-coming spirits.

2. Rum

Volume
sales: 24.64m cases

Percentage change: -0.4%

Value
sales: US$2.32bn

Percentage change: -0.3%

Rum may be the second largest spirits category in
the US, but it failed to record volume or value growth in 2017. Some of the
largest rum players have struggled to keep up with other spirit types in a move
upmarket, and it could be argued that the category has failed to achieve the
same boost from the cocktail renaissance as that experience by gin and Bourbon.
With American whiskey hot on its heels, might rum slide down the leaderboard in
2018? It remains to be seen.

3. American Whiskey

Volume
sales: 23.15m cases

Percentage change: +6.4%

Value
sales: US$3.36bn

Percentage change: +8.1%

Americans’ enthusiasm for their domestic whiskeys –
including Bourbon – continued unabated in 2017. The Distilled Spirits Council
notes that there was strength across all price points in American whiskey –
quite an achievement in this age of pervasive premiumization. The category also
added 300,000 cases to sales of its flavored expressions, while rye whiskey
proved to be the fastest growing spirit sub-category of 2017, with growth of
+16.2% to US$175m, and 900,000 cases.

4. Canadian Whiskey

Volume
sales: 17.54m cases

Percentage change: +2.4%

Value
sales: US$1.99bn

Percentage change: +2%

Canadian whisky may not quite be a household name
internationally, but it has a dedicated consumer base in the US. The category
is tantalizingly close to hitting sales of US$2bn, which it is sure to surpass
this year if the current growth trajectory continues.

5. Tequila and Mezcal

Volume
sales: 17.2m cases

Percentage change: +8.5%

Value
sales: US$2.7bn

Percentage change: +9.9%

Tequila
is one of the hottest categories in the spirits world right now, and the US is
its biggest market. The Distilled Spirits Council notes that the fastest rate
of growth can be seen at the higher end of the spectrum – which is also
evidenced by rampant acquisition activity in recent years. Just last
month, Bacardi bought pioneering super-premium Patrón in a deal that values the company at US$5.1bn.

6. Cognac and Brandy

Volume
sales: 13.72m cases

Percentage change: +5.4%

Value
sales: US$2.28bn

Percentage change: +7.5%

Cognac
and brandy producers hailed solid gains in 2017, though the rate of growth in
the states was slightly slower than the global picture. Last month, trade body
the BNIC revealed that Cognac exports reached their ‘highest levels’ in 2017, growing by 11% in volume and 14% in value, largely
thanks to rebounds in the emerging markets.

7. Gin

Volume
sales: 9.87m cases

Percentage change: -0.6%

Value
sales: US$895m

Percentage change: +2.2%

Talk of the ‘gin boom’ is rife in the international
spirits industry, but, surprisingly, the category’s volumes struggled in 2017 –
could consumer thirst for the juniper spirit be waning? Super-premium craft
players are the most likely cause of a 2.2% value gain, edging gin sales in the
States close to the US$1bn mark.

8. Blended Scotch

Volume
sales: 7.17m cases

Percentage change: -3.3%

Value
sales: US$1.39bn

Percentage change: +0.4%

Volume sales of blended Scotch whisky took a hit in
2017 – perhaps due to the challenge for consumer mindshare posed by its
American and Irish cousins. However, value sales marginally increased,
indicating premiumization continues to run through the category.

9. Irish Whiskey

Volume
sales: 4.25m cases

Percentage
change: +11.3%

Value
sales: US$897m

Percentage change: +12.8%

Irish
whiskey is one of the US drinks market’s biggest success story and experienced
the fastest rate of growth in terms of both value and volume sales of any
spirit category in 2017. Of course, the success of Irish whiskey is
inextricably linked to the soaring sales of category leader Jameson, but the sector is also receiving a boost from
innovative new super-premium players that are piquing consumer interest.

10. Single Malt Scotch

Volume
sales: 2.11m cases

Percentage change: -1.2%

Value
sales: US$771m

Percentage ch ange:
+1.1%

It was a mixed picture for single malt Scotch in
2017 – while volumes declined, values increased, indicating consumers are
drinking slightly less single malt expressions, but choosing more expensive
varieties when they do.